Tagged : 5

We get a lot of questions about HOAs.  HOA stands for Homeowners’ Association, and most neighborhoods in Charleston, SC have them.  The HOA is a non-profit group that manages a community.  Sometimes it is made up of residents from the neighborhood who work with a property manager (usually a professional, paid group who specializes in keeping up neighborhoods). 

Their work is paid for by all of the home owners in the neighborhood by HOA fees.  These fees range in price from about $150 to $8,000 per year.  HOA fees vary in price since they cover different things.  Some HOA fees simply cover grounds maintenance for all of the green spaces in the neighborhood.  If you live in a townhouse or condo, your HOA may cover insurance (although we usually

You may have heard this before:  “What are the three most important things to consider with real estate?”  The answer, of course, is location, location, and location.  So, everyone knows it’s important – but why?

Location is the single largest factor when determining property value, especially in Charleston, SC.  Location is the only thing you cannot change about a home.  You can take a not-so-impressive home and completely renovate it to the point that it is unrecognizable – new floors, new cabinets, and fresh paint.  However, the location remains the same.

So, let’s say that you already know your price range, but you’re not sure about where to live in Charleston.  If you want to buy a home with good resale value, be sure to look in highly

We get a lot of questions about schools in Charleston, SC.  When clients tell us they want to be in a good public school district, we tell them to look for homes in Mt. Pleasant or Summerville because these two areas have the best public school systems in Charleston.  And, in Summerville, you specifically need to look for Dorchester District 2 (it is better than Dorchester District 4). 

When people find out they have two options for places to live in Charleston with good public schools, they usually want to narrow their search down even more.  So, the main differences between these two areas are price and location.  Mt. Pleasant is more expensive than Summerville, but most areas in Mt. Pleasant are about 10 minutes from the closest beaches and

The Morris Island Lighthouse off Folly Beach is one of two lighthouses in Charleston, SC.  Since it is located only about 300 yards off the north end of Folly Beach, the lighthouse has become somewhat of a symbol for Folly Beach and even James Island.  The Morris Island Lighthouse has received a lot of attention recently because the island it sits on has shifted dramatically. 

When the lighthouse was built in 1876, fifteen buildings surrounded it on Morris Island for the keeper and his family.  And, most people don’t know that it was painted with black and white stripes after the Bodie Lighthouse in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  Problems began in 1889 when jetties were built to improve the channel leading into the Charleston Harbor and downtown

We are writing to let you know about a big event coming up in the Charleston area.  The Spoleto Festival USA will take place from May 25 to June 10.  This seventeen-day arts festival will feature a broad range of performances, including theater, classical ballet, jazz, chamber music, and modern dance.  There will also be local artists displaying their work in Marion Square.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Gian Carlo Menotti, began the Spoleto Festival in Italy in 1958 to showcase new American artists in Europe.  As Spoleto’s popularity grew, the organizers started an American version of the festival in 1977.  Of all the American cities, they chose Charleston to be the  permanent host for the festival because of the city’s small size, cultured

Many people choose Charleston as their getaway destination.  Some people want a second home in Charleston so that they can have a home near the beach, so that they can have a home near family living in Charleston, so that they can have a private place to stay for business trips, so that they can have an investment that will provide plenty of enjoyment, or so that they can use the home first for vacations and then for retirement in the coming years. 

If you’re looking into buying a second home, try to get a good location.  This is especially important if you plan to use it as a vacation home.  If you want a home near the beach, look in areas that are actually close to the beach, like Folly Beach, James Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Mt.

People moving to Charleston, SC often have questions about where to live (or where to invest). As a real estate agent, I always ask them, "What are you looking for?" In order to help people who are relocating to the Charleston area, I have organized my suggestions into 7 answers.

1) Folly Beach is a great investment because there will pretty much always be a great demand of people who want to live at the beach.  Folly Beach is the most popular beach in the Charleston area, especially for college students and young professionals.  Add this popularity with its proximity to downtown Charleston, and you will find that Folly Beach is a great rental area.  

2) James Island is a little more affordable than Folly Beach, and it is even closer to